This application claims priority to French Patent Application No. 02 03107 filed on Mar. 13, 2002, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to improvements made to composite-shell pneumatic craft convertible into a closed box for their storage and/or their transportation, comprising a rigid hull, the upper edge of which extends approximately in one plane, and an inflatable buoyancy tube fixed to said edge of the rigid hullxe2x80x94excluding the rear thereofxe2x80x94by joining means, a removable rigid panel being additionally provided and configured to match the contour of said upper edge of the hull in order to form a closing element for the hull, inside which the deflated tube has been folded flat.
According to document FR-A-2 761 042, a craft of the aforementioned type which, by virtue of its general arrangement, satisfies the sought-after object of ease of storage and transportation by automobile and also of a rapid and uncomplicated passage from the storage and transportation configuration to the navigation and inversion configuration, is known.
A crucial problem in this type of craft is to ensure, in navigation configuration, a reliable sealing tightness between the rigid hull and the inflated tube in order to prevent water from penetrating into the rigid hull by passing between this and the tube.
Another problem lies in the method of connecting the inflatable tube to the rigid hull to enable the passage from one configuration to the other to be made without removing/refitting the tube on the hull, in other words by allowing the tube to be permanently joined to the hull (the removal capability being reserved, for example, for workshop maintenance) and by swinging it on one side or other of the hull as required (inner side for storage/transportation, outer side for inflating and navigation).
A solution to these problems had appeared to be attainable by constituting the aforementioned joining means, as proposed in document FR-A-2 777 531, in the form of a profile having a section in the general shape of an inverted U, overlapping the upper edge of the hull and comprising:
a first upwardly open groove, situated on the inside of the hull, configured with a narrow opening for holding a bead joined to the said tube, the bead being borne by a flexible skirt attached to the tube,
a second upwardly open groove, situated on the outside of the hull, suitable for receiving the lip of the aforesaid rigid panel affixed to the hull in the closed box configuration and suitable for maintaining the flexible skirt of the inflated tube situated outside the hull in the craft configuration,
and an elastomer strip situated externally beneath the second channel in order to form a seal-tight support for the inflated tube in the craft configuration.
In practice, however, the abovementioned profile did not adequately meet requirements. On the one hand, this profile is complex in shape and hence costly to produce. In addition, it requires the installation of a convex sealing strip designed to cooperate in a seal-tight manner with the buoyancy tube: not only does this strip add to the production cost, but the acquired sealing tightness, furthermore, is unsatisfactory and the water is able to penetrate, through there, into the craft. Finally, it has a part (holding groove for the bead) which is situated inside the craft and can hamper the occupants, or even be dangerous.
It has therefore proved necessary to modify the profile in question, whilst still preserving the principle of using a multifunction profile suitable for the hook-fastening of the buoyancy tube and for the cooperation with the edge of the lid in storage/transportation position, this multifunctionality having proved in practice to be effective and practical.
In this context, the object of the invention is therefore to propose an improved arrangement having a simply shaped and hence less costly profile, suitable for obtaining a seal-tight connection between the buoyancy tube and the rigid hull and preserving at least the aforementioned twin function.
To these ends, the invention proposes a pneumatic craft such as referred to above, which, being arranged according to the invention, is characterised in that the said joining means comprise a profile fixed to the outside of the hull, along the edge or close to the edge thereof, said profile comprising:
a supporting flank against the hull, and
a groove configured with a narrow opening which opens into an upper wall of the profile close to said supporting flank, said groove being suitable for holding a bead joined to a flexible skirt attached to the inflatable body,
said upper wall of the profile being suitable, in its part adjacent to said groove opposite to said supporting flank of the profile, for supporting a lip of said removable panel,
a portion of the supporting flank of the profile being configured to cooperate with members for fixing said profile to the hull.
Thus, owing to the fact that the profile no longer overlaps the upper edge of the wall of the hull but is fixed to the outer wall of the hull, the profile can be formed in a simple and relatively compact shape. Such a profile is easier to produce and is therefore cheaper and, furthermore, it has no part projecting inside the hull, likely to prove a nuisance, or even dangerous.
In navigation position, moreover, the whole of the flotation means (inflatable body, profile and connection between the two) are situated outside the rigid hull and there is no risk of water penetrating into the latter.
Advantageously, the profile can possess a second flank, opposite to said first supporting flank, and the two flanks can project above said upper wall, defining an upwardly open channel suitable for holding said removable panel transversely, such that, on the one hand, the supporting surface of the profile on the hull has grown and, on the other hand, the edge of the lid, in storage/transportation position, is enclosed in this channel and is held more effectively on the hull.
Also advantageously, the first supporting flank of the profile can comprise a wing projecting beneath the aforesaid groove and it is therefore this wing projecting at the bottom which is suitable for cooperating with members for fixing the profile to the hull. The inflatable buoyancy tube, whether in the inflated or deflated state, is therefore guaranteed not to come into contact with the fixing members, which can be protruding and aggressive (screws, rivets), and not to be torn to pieces.
It is therefore very interesting, moreover, to arrange for the profile to comprise a tubular part situated under said groove and for one wall of this tubular part to be formed by said wing. In effect, the connecting members which cooperate functionally with this wing are then protected in relation to the environment, and especially in relation to the inflatable tube. In addition, it becomes possible, once the profile is fixed on the hull, to seal off the ends of the said tubular part of the profile such that the water can no longer penetrate therein. The sealing tightness of the mechanical connections of the profile to the hull is thereby assured.
Finally, it is possible to provide for said two opposite flanks of the profile to extend at the bottom in the form of two lower wings situated opposite each other and defining a rail, and, by giving an appropriate configuration to these wings, it is possible to use them as hook-fastening elements for accessories.